Inversia

For five years, the Inversia festival has brought together communities of artists and curators from the Russian North and Europe, exploring the phenomena of cultural isolation and rethinking traditional perceptions of darkness and the geographical remoteness of its location. With the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine, the festival's five-year history in Russia came to an end. The years of growth and formation of the experimental northern scene were devalued by geopolitical ambitions, clashes of interests and the devastating consequences of war. Inversia has always been a space for intercultural and international dialogue, a place where artists, curators and thinkers meet and exchange ideas and experiences. The festival's philosophy erased borders between countries and offered a universal language of communication - art. Sometimes it was provocative, critical, philosophical or figurative. Every February, guests could discover new names, unusual formats, stunning ideas, and find the nerve of avant-garde and experimental art localised in the polar city of Murmansk. Unfortunately, the existence of such initiatives is absolutely impossible in today's reality, amidst the constantly generated streams of hatred and the space poisoned by media propaganda. The festival team sees no future for its ideas and begins a new chapter outside of Russia. The festival has moved to a nomadic format, becoming a floating base for the globally dispersed Inversia community, a platform for joint research and presentation of results in collaboration with partners and friends around the world. It is now a series of flashing events in different locations around the world, bringing together communities of artists and curators experimenting with contemporary art, ready to explore the complex relationship between man and nature, as well as projects focusing on the indigenous and industrial heritage of the northern territories. (2023)

Links

• Website
• The Guardian article, 2020